A LATE QUARTET (NR) Another star-filled, late year release hoping for some awards love, A Late Quartet stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener and Mark Ivanir (Schindler’s List) as a world-renowned string quartet struggling to stay together amidst egos, death and lust. Director Yaron Zilberman (the documentary Watermarks) makes his directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with Seth Grossman (The Elephant King and the third Butterfly Effect). With the awkwardly named Imogen Poots and the incomparable Wallace Shawn. (Ciné)

ADDICTED TO FAME (NR) Really? A documentary about the making of Anna Nicole Smith’s final movie? Director David Giancola capitalizes on the making of his previous feature, a sci-fi “Charlie’s Angels” send-up called Illegal Aliens, after his star and producer, the late tabloid target/plus size supermodel/Playboy Playmate, died. Supposedly, Giancola uses the opportunity to wax philosophical on the cult of celebrity and media manipulation. Interestingly for a documentary, Jesse Eisenberg and Sean Astin appear as Eric Dodds and Matt Foster; even better, Bruce Campbell appears as Greig.

ARGO (R) Ben Affleck’s career revival continues with what might be his best directing effort yet; as life-or-death as the tension gets, the movie is ultimately a less grueling entertainment experience than either The Town or Gone Baby Gone. Revealing the once classified story of how the CIA rescued six American hostages in the midst of the Iranian Revolution, Argo is both an intriguing modern history lesson and a compelling, old-fashioned Hollywood thriller. The first-act scenes of the revolution terrify with present day relevance; the middle sequence that sets up the outlandish rescue op humorously skewers late-'70s Hollywood, thanks to excellent work by John Goodman as real life, Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers, as well as Alan Arkin; and the climactic escape epitomizes edge-of-your-seat suspense. Affleck has collected one hell of a cast—Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler, Victor Garber, Scoot McNairy, Chris Messina and many more recognizable faces—but the movie isn’t dominated by any one showy actor, and certainly not its tightly controlled director-star. Its greatness is certainly a sum of all parts—directing, writing (by first-time scripter Chris Terrio) and acting. The Academy will certainly recognize Argo, the year’s best, most accessible release to date, in its expanded best picture race. (Ciné)

BRAVE (PG) A good, not great, Pixar film, Brave strays into traditional Disney territory after a tremendously magical first act. Headstrong Scottish Princess Merida (wonderfully voiced by the lovely Kelly Macdonald) wants to choose her own destiny. She does not want to marry the first-born of the clans allied with her father (v. Billy Connolly), but her mother, Queen Elinor (v. Emma Thompson), will hear none of her complaints. In typical stubborn teenage fashion, Merida short-sightedly asks a wood-carving witch (v. Julie Walters) for a spell to change her mother. The aftermath of the spell leads to some heartwarming and charming derring-do, but the sitcom-ish mix-up is a bit stock for what we’ve come to expect from the studio that gave us Wall-E and Up, two animated features that transcended their cartoonish origins.

CALIFORNIA SOLO (NR) Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, 28 Months Later…) stars as a British rock star, Lachlan MacAldonich, whose drunk driving leads him to the verge of deportation after years of living in Los Angeles. His predicament forces the rocker to face his past. Writer-director Marshall Lewy follows up his debut, Blue State, an indie romcom starring Breckin Meyer and Anna Paquin; anybody see it? With Danny Masterson (Hyde from “That 70’s Show”) and William Russ (Cory’s dad from “Boy Meets World”).

THE COLLECTION (R) “Project Greenlight 3” screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton return with a sequel to their 2009 horror flick, The Collector, which Dunstan directed. After hitting it (kind of) big with Feast, the duo have been steadily working on sequel scripts; they wrote Saw IV-VII, Feasts II and III and Piranha 3DD. The Collection sees a survivor of the serial killer known as “The Collector” being blackmailed into rescuing a girl from the killer’s lair. Maybe the existence of a sequel will finally push me to watch The Collector.

FLIGHT(R) Robert Zemeckis returns to live action movies for adults (since 2000's Cast Away) with this Denzel Washington-starring after-work special about alcoholism dressed up as an airplane crash drama. Captain Whip Whitaker (Washington) may be a great pilot, but he's not such a great guy. Yet while hungover, still drunk and high on coke, Whitaker saves most of the 102 souls on flight 227 after a mechanical failure requires him to pull off an unconventional crash landing. Starring a big handful of swell actors—Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood, John Goodman, Melissa Leo join Washington—Flight calls to mind a '70s issue movie (something Sidney Lumet or Norman Jewison might have directed Al Pacino in) wrapped in a tense, quasi-legal drama. Every part is exceptional, though it is Washington's latest award-worthy turn (his first since 2007's American Gangster) who lifts the movie above the cloudy inspirational moralizing that probably would have occurred with another star (say Will Smith). The crash sequence alone deserves a spot on the shortlist for 2012's best scenes; don't be surprised if Denzel and Flight soar come awards season.

FUN SIZE (PG-13) This teen Halloween comedy is the cinematic equivalent of getting those orange and black wrapped peanut butter candies while trick or treating at some old lady’s house. Wren (Victoria Justice, “Zoey 101”) loses her Spider-Man-costumed little brother, Albert (Jackson Nicoll), on Halloween and enlists her shallow BFF, April (Jane Levy), and the nerdy kid who’s crushing on her, Roosevelt (Thomas Mann, Project X), in her quest to find lil’ bro. Director Josh Schwartz tapped the teenage zeitgeist twice on TV (“The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl”), but his small screen talents fail to translate to the big screen in his feature directing debut. Fun Size is not funny at any size, despite a script from “The Colbert Report” writer Max Werner. When Johnny Knoxville is excruciating and Chelsea Handler is a highlight, something is way off, comedically. 

HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET (PG-13) Another soporific, unscary PG-13 horror movie that will draw in the teens and tweenies, House at the End of the Street stars The Hunger Games’ Jennifer Lawrence as Elissa, who moves to a new town with her divorced mom (Elisabeth Shue). Soon Elissa is smitten with her cute new neighbor, Ryan (Max Theriot, a horror vet from My Soul to Take), the town bogeyman whose parents were murdered by his younger sister, Carrie Anne. Despite an overactive, handheld camera, director Mark Tonderai does little of note with the script from David Loucka, who wrote the even less frightening Dream House. (Too bad story contributor Jonathan Mostow didn’t direct; his Breakdown was much more chilling.) Pleasantly, the movie’s costumer chose to clothe the beautiful Lawrence in tank tops. Besides that sartorial diversion, HATES proves that little potential yields little disappointment. The only intriguing gambit is how the movie’s twist is perpetuated, not spoiled, by the trailer. However, that twist isn’t worth a theatrical viewing of this pedestrianly average horror flick.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (NR) 1946. Frank Capra’s holiday classic gets the big screen treatment at Ciné as part of a seasonal fundraiser. George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) reconsiders suicide after Clarence, an angel seeking his wings, shows George the difference he’s made in the world. Admission is free with a donation to the Food Bank of North Georgia, Toys for Tots or Ciné. Complimentary popcorn and refreshments will be provided while they last, and a silent auction will be held, featuring some one-of-a-kind items. (Ciné)

KILLING THEM SOFTLY (R) Brad Pitt re-teams with his The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford director, Andrew Dominik, for another crime drama. Pitt plays Jackie Cogan, an enforcer looking into a heist that took place during a poker game protected by the mob. Both of Dominik’s first two films—Chopper and Assassination of Jesse James—are underrated. Actors like him, apparently; he’s gathered together a terrific cast to support Pitt, including Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Scoot McNairy and Sam Shepard.

• LIFE OF PI (PG) Having last thought of Yann Martel’s novel when I read it nearly 10 years ago, the ineffective trailers for Ang Lee’s adaptation failed to remind me of how wonderful and energetic Pi Patel’s life had been. I recalled a shipwreck, a lifeboat and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The imaginatively conceived and beautifully told work of art created by Brokeback Mountain Oscar winner Lee, who certainly deserves his third nomination, reminded me of the many, small joys that add up to make the life of Pi. Do not let the underwhelming previews deprive you of one of the year’s most moving, most artistic films of the year. The opening anecdote relating the origin of Pi’s name conjures up the modern fairy tale magic of past crowd-pleasers Amelie and Hugo. Delicate performances from newcomer Suraj Sharma, stranded for lengthy sequences with nothing but a tiger for a costar, and the ever-excellent Irrfan Khan (most recently seen in The Amazing Spider-Man). Lee smartly utilizes 3D technology to add depth to the storytelling and awe to the viewing experience; Life of Pi will probably be the only award winning film of 2012 I recommend seeing in 3D. 

LINCOLN (PG-13) Historical biopics do not come much more perfect than Steven Spielberg’s take on our 16th president’s struggle to end slavery by way of the 13th Amendment. Rather than tell Abraham Lincoln’s life story, screenwriter Tony Kushner (the Oscar nominee for Munich also wrote the excellent “Angels in America”) chose the ideal, earth-shattering month upon which to focus. He populates Spielberg’s 19th-century hallways with living, breathing figures of American history like William Seward (David Strathairn), Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), Alexander Stephens (Jackie Earle Haley), Edwin Stanton (Bruce McGill) and Ulysses S. Grant (Jared Harris), but the film will be remembered and lauded as another platform from which Daniel Day-Lewis can solidify his claim to the title of greatest living actor. He uncannily becomes Lincoln with such ease; he also humanizes a larger-than-life figure we tend to treat far too reverently. Awards are sure to come. His authentic performance helps keep Spielberg’s best film since 1998’s Saving Private Ryan from falling into the hagiographical trap. Lincoln is also the bipartisan film our post-election America needs to remind us what to expect from great leaders. If these elected representatives could compromise to make history, certainly ours can to salvage the present.

LOOPER (R) Whoa! Ever since Brick, I have waited for Rian Johnson to make good on that coolly stylish teen-noir’s immense promise. Johnson might still have better films to come, but this tricksy, time travel, sci-fi noir ensures Brick’s promise has been fulfilled. In a future where time travel is an illegal reality, hitmen called loopers wait in the past for gangsters to send them their targets. Armed with a blunderbuss, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) awaits his marks, knowing one day he will have to “close the loop,” meaning kill his older self. When Old Joe (Bruce Willis) finally shows, the showdown doesn’t go as smoothly as planned. Had The Terminator mated with a film noir, Looper would be the exciting result. Don’t expect any lengthy scientific discussions of time travel (that doesn't mean the film doesn’t have a lot to say; one flaw is a too-wordy middle act). Do expect lots of violence, a bit of a mind trip and the best Bruce Willis movie in years. Willis might still be the top draw, but the talented Gordon-Levitt as a young Bruno keeps the movie moving. Looper is certainly 2012’s best science fiction and is shortlisted for the year’s best.

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN (PG) From an odd, sweet place, Frank Zappa’s son Ahmet, comes The Odd Life of Timothy Green. The locale is familiar, though, to screenwriter-director Peter Hedges, who adapted his own novel What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? for director Lasse Hallstrom, who must have been busy as this project seems tailor-made for his sentimental modern fairy tales. Before finally accepting their barren existence, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) put all their wishes for a child in a box and bury them in their fertile garden. After a freak storm, the Greens have a new arrival, 10-year-old, leaf-legged Timothy (CJ Adams). Desiring to right all the wrongs of their own childhoods, Cindy and Jim attempt to give Timothy the perfect adolescence. The Odd Life of Timothy Green might appeal more to kind-hearted, older kids, thanks to Adams’ cute but not cutesy Timothy, despite its being an above average parenting fable. As for these parents, Garner’s appeal chills the further “Alias” recedes, though Edgerton works hard to warm her. It’s a good thing they have David Morse, Dianne Wiest, Common, Ron Livingstone, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Rosemarie DeWitt and the always excellent M. Emmet Walsh on which to rely.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (PG-13) Stephen Chbosky (he wrote the screenplay for Chris Columbus' big-screen Rent) directs the adaptation of his own YA novel about a freshman (Logan Lerman, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) being mentored by two seniors (Emma Watson and Ezra Miller). Most of the movie's prerelease buzz has focused on Watson's first major post-Harry Potter role, but it's Miller, so good in We Need to Talk About Kevin, that I want to see in action. With Nina Dobrev of “The Vampire Diaries.” (Ciné)

• RED DAWN (PG-13) This preposterous movie borne of the Cold War fears and tensions of the 1980s need not have been remade. A motley group of teenagers (including Chris “Thor” Hemsworth, Josh “Peeta” Hutcherson and Tom Cruise’s adopted kid, Connor Cruise) stage an insurgency against communist invaders; the North Koreans, with an assist from the Russians, replace the original’s Soviet/Cuban alliance. The idea that these teens could transform into an elite fighting force so quickly either underestimates North Korean military readiness or overestimates American teenagers' military prowess. Worse, this new Dawn simply lacks the indelible, if absurd, moments from the original, making it hard to imagine future audiences marveling at the new cast as we do the original’s “once was-ers” nearly 30 years later. Red Dawn Redux fails to rouse feelings of patriotism or jingoism and will not be remembered come 2014.  

• RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (PG) Author William Joyce’s very cool idea is brought to the big screen by first-time animated feature director Peter Ramsey and fantastical executive producer Guillermo del Toro. Holiday legends North (aka Santa, who is voiced very Russianly by Alec Baldwin), Bunny (v. Hugh Jackman) and Tooth (v. Isla Fisher) are joined by Jack Frost (v. Chris Pine) as they do battle with the evil Pitch (v. Jude Law). Imagining massive audiences of children falling hard for this potential animated franchise is not hard. The computer-generated animation is engaging (though one must wonder what thought process led to such an unappealingly birdlike appearance for the Tooth Fairy), and the narrative is action-packed. Adults will be intermittently bored by the pedestrian plotting and obvious obstacles placed in front of the legendary heroes. Hopefully, a sequel will take increased advantage of the extraordinary concept rather than relying so much upon tired cartoon storytelling.

SAMSARA (NR) Director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson are reunited some 20 years after their award winning collaboration on Baraka and some 27 years after their first film, Chronos. Samsara (Sanskrit for “the ever turning wheel of life”) took nearly five years to film and covers sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites and natural wonders in twenty-five countries on five continents. Talk about epic; it was also shot on 70-millimeter film. Winner of the Dublin Film Critics Award for Best Documentary. (Ciné)

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (PG-13) Director Malik Bendjelloul documents the journey of two South Africans, Stephen “Sugar” Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom, seeking to discover what happened to their rock and roll hero, the mysterious Rodriguez. Bendjelloul’s intriguing documentary was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize and won several awards from festivals around the world, including a Golden Athena (Athens International Film Festival), a Silver St. George (Moscow International Film Festival) and several Audience Awards (Dublin, Los Angeles, Sundance). (Ciné)

THE SESSIONS (R) In this Special Jury Prize and Audience Award winner at Sundance, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, Mark, living in an iron lung, desires to lose his virginity and so hires a sex surrogate (Helen Hunt). William H. Macy plays Mark’s priest. Sixty-something writer-director Ben Lewin (“Ally McBeal”’s highest rated episode, “Let’s Dance”) based the film on the story of Berkeley-based poet-journalist Mark O’Brien. With Moon Bloodgood, Adam Arkin and Rhea Perlman.

SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D (R) Adapting videogames to the big screen is tricky. Christophe Gans and Roger Avary’s 2006 Silent Hill set the (admittedly low) bar for a great videogame adaptation. Rose Da Silva’s trek to save her daughter Sharon from the titular town’s evil cultists was creepy and atmospheric, yet utterly nonsensical. In writer-director Michael J. Bassett’s sequel, Sharon has grown up to be Heather Mason (Michelle Williams lookalike Adelaide Clemens), who must return to Silent Hill to find her dad, Chris-now-Harry (Sean Bean). Bassett overreaches, attempting to right the narrative wrongs of Gans/Avary, reward fans of Silent Hill 3 and open up the weird, confusing town of Silent Hill for the uninitiated, all in three, terrifying dimensions. The psychological scares that dominate the games are slight, though Bassett provides a couple of memorable monsters (the mannequin spider deserved more screen time). Bassett’s story makes more sense than his predecessor’s, thanks to dialogue that is 99 percent expository (and 100 percent awful); most of the acting stinks too. Indiscriminating horror fans may enjoy a second trip to Silent Hill, but the outing is probably best enjoyed by experienced gamers looking to take a shortened trek through Heather’s six (or so) hour gaming adventure.

SKYFALL (PG-13) The middle third of Daniel Craig’s third outing as James Bond is the best 007 adventure in 20, maybe even 30, years. Too bad director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and his team of scripters won’t just let Bond be Bond for the entirety of the film. Skyfall almost completely unravels before the opening credits. The pre-credits chase—involving Bond, a female agent, a train and a baddie—concludes with M (Judi Dench) showing no faith in her best agent, a decision that makes little sense in this, or any, Bond-verse. In three films, Bond has gone from a newly licensed Double 0 to a dinosaur; when can Bond just be Bond again? (At least Quantum of Solace got that very right.) For an hour and in its tantalizing conclusion, Skyfall dresses in the formalwear of traditional Bond: Q, an all-time great villain, Silva (a blonde, 100% pure crazy Javier Bardem), and more. Bond has always been about balancing cool deadliness with world-saving silliness. Through Moore and Brosnan’s tenures, the balance favored silly; Craig’s scale might be tipped too far in the opposite direction. If the right mixture can be found, we could again see a candidate for Best Bond Ever.

SPELLBOUND (NR) 1945. Ciné continues their Alfred Hitchcock 35mm revival series with the master’s Oscar winner (solely for Miklos Rosza’s score despite five nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor). Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck star as a psychiatrist, Dr. Constance Petersen, protecting her patient, amnesiac John Ballantyne, from a murder charge as they recover his memory. If you haven’t seen one of Hitchcock’s classics on the big screen, Spellbound is a great place to start. (Ciné)

TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE (PG-13) You’ll have no Trouble with the Curve so long as old man jokes, spryly delivered by a grouchier than usual Clint Eastwood, can keep you entertained for two hours. As aging baseball scout Gus Lobel, Eastwood seems to be workshopping a new stand-up routine (after his speech at the Republican National Convention, who knows?). He constantly mutters one-liners to himself, be he alone or sharing a scene with one of the movie’s terrific supporting actors, including Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, or the gaggle of familiar old faces that play Gus’ scouting rivals. When the script asks him to act, Eastwood can still make any movie fan’s day. Adams and Timberlake bring some refreshing youth to this rather aged dramedy. Director Robert Lorenz hasn’t learned as much from his longtime collaborator as you'd like (he’s been Eastwood’s assistant director since 1995’s The Bridges of Madison County and producer since 2002’s Blood Work); writer Randy Brown’s Mitch Albom-y script doesn’t help. Fortunately, the capable bunch of on-camera talent, led by Hollywood’s elder statesman, should please the hometown crowds wishing to play a game of “Spot the Shots of Athens.”

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN—PART 2 (PG-13) The Twilight Saga has consistently improved as filmmakers have changed and the series has… um… matured? Bella (Kristen Stewart) is now a vampire; she and her husband, Edward (Robert Pattinson), have a new baby, Renesmee, whose existence threatens the vampire world’s ruling family, the Volturi (led by Michael Sheen). Now the Cullens, the Quileute wolves (including Taylor Lautner’s Jacob) and several blood-sucking pals must make a stand against the invading Italian vamps. Stephenie Meyer’s phenomenon concludes as satisfactorily as one would expect, though Breaking Dawn—Part 1 exceeds its follow-up, mostly thanks to the former’s more horrific plot. Part 2’s concluding battle merely proves Meyer’s non-monsters aren’t really vampires; they are romantic superheroes. The terrible CGI work—the needlessly computer-generated baby Renesmee vies for the worst special effect of 1992—shows the lack of serious craftsmanship with which this material has been handled.

VHS: VIDEOGRAPHER’S HELLA-BIG SHOW (NR) Ladies and gentlemen, grab your camcorders! Athens’ own The Society of Greater Things presents VHS: Videographer’s Hella-Big Show, your chance to get your amateur, aspiring or professional work on a local big screen on a quarterly basis. If you’re interested in submitting your original work (or just want more information), send a link (YouTube or Vimeo) to [email protected]. The screening is free. An 8 p.m. directors' mixer precedes the short films. Free prizes are also being promised. (Ciné)

WRECK-IT RALPH (PG) 2012 has been a good year for animation. Good luck deciding on the year's best animated feature from a strong list that includes Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman and now Wreck-It Ralph. In Disney's latest, Wreck-It Ralph (v. John C. Reilly), the bad guy from popular arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr., decides he wants to be a good guy. Leaving the safety of his own regenerating world, Ralph enters a Halo-ish first-person shooter named Hero's Duty in search of a medal. Too bad Ralph is better at wrecking things than fixing them. This cute, inventive cartoon boasts several creative game worlds like the cavity-friendly candyland of Sugar Rush and a treasure trove of easter eggs for lifelong and newer gamers. Director Rich Moore definitely learned a thing or two from his time working on the inside joke heavy worlds of Matt Groening, "The Simpsons" and "Futurama." The voicework by Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling and more is top-notch, but one expects that level of competence from a high-profile animated feature. It's the plentiful heart and laughter Wreck-It Ralph offers viewers of all ages, gamer or not, that sets it apart.